Understanding the Values of a Post Industrial Society

In order to understand the core values of a post industrial society we must first take a look at what defines an industrial society. Once we do this we can move on to the characteristics of a postindustrial society, as well as the effects that it can have in shaping a nation.

Industrial society

Although most people might not be able to define an industrial society in technical terms, we are all well aware of what it means and what it stands for. It is based on technological improvements that aid mass production and it is characterized by capital and labor. Most powerful countries have implemented modern technology in order to improve their economy and thus they represent models of industrial societies. However, in order for such values to serve the good of the people it is important to find new goals. Once a country has perfected its production technology, it is time to redirect itself towards a new vision which can be portrayed in a post industrial society.

Characteristics of a post industrial society

The main characteristic of such a society is the economical transition. The production of goods can be replaced with the provision of services. Furthermore, the importance of knowledge is increased and it can even be viewed as a form of capital. As knowledge is more appreciated so are the new ideas. Given the fact that economy can only use material means to expand until a certain point, future expansion is based on innovative ideas. Nowadays globalization and automation have replaced conventional means of production such as manual labor. Furthermore, society places an important value on professional workers. A society who is transitioning to a new industrial stage is also characterized by the implementation of new behavioral and information sciences and technologies.

The importance of knowledge in supporting progress

The first definition of the transition to the post industrial era was made by Daniel Bell in The Coming of Post-Industrial Society, published in 1973. In Bell’s vision, economic employment patterns needed to evolve in knowledge based core values. His presumption turned out to be true as this is the main current nowadays. As people are no longer necessary in manual jobs, they are redirected to new domains based on knowledge such as service sectors, education, leisure activities and so on. Given the success of multinational companies, we are witnessing the application of knowledge in economical improvement.
This also comes with wider employment opportunities as well as mass migration of employees. The new mass consumption based society requires education and training in order to improve and sustain itself. Furthermore a post industrial society also values creative thinking in order to produce people capable of answering to the new economic needs.